Protesters Dig In, But 3-flat Near Cabrini Hits The Ground

Demonstration Ends In Demolition, Arrests

The bricks tumbled from the three-flat at 1142 N. Orleans St. Tuesday afternoon, exposing the home of five protesters who hours before had barricaded themselves in to denounce the demolition of their apartment building and to defend low-income housing.

The two women and three men, some who say they are members of the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade, defied a court's eviction order and were arrested. But after being released on bond from jail, the group vowed to continue the fight.

"We will continue to organize among residents, and we will push forward against the demolition and uprooting of communities in this city," said protester A.K. Small after posting $100 bail.

The eviction and subsequent demolition of the city-owned building served as symbols of ongoing changes in the Cabrini-Green community, where high-rise CHA buildings are being torn down and expensive housing is going up.

To those who supported the protesters, the day's events dramatized the movement to maintain affordable housing in gentrifying areas of Chicago.

Others viewed it as the city did: a sign of progress. The demolition allows for the expansion of Seward Park, a project delayed because of legal wrangling with the protesters. The city plans to complete the expansion by Labor Day, said Jennifer Hoyle, spokeswoman for the city's Law Department.

Cook County sheriff's deputies arrived 20 strong at 8:45 a.m. with bomb-sniffing dogs and a cadre of Chicago police officers to keep the perimeters secure.

The protesters barricaded windows and doors and continued to block themselves in the building even as deputies tried to get in with a battering ram. The Chicago Fire Department arrived to help after deputies could not gain access.

"We are boarding ourselves into the building," said Sarah Klepner, a protester inside who was reached by telephone as sheriff's deputies broke through the barricades. "We're remaining in the building as long as we can. We have 20 sheriffs coming in. Everyone in the city can do this. They don't have to leave their homes if they don't want to."

Twenty minutes later, Klepner and four other protesters were led down the building's rear staircase in handcuffs, as supporters outside chanted: "Stop urban cleansing." and "Free the brigade. No demolition."